Method of making snap fastener sockets



Nov. 7, 1939. D. l. REITER 2,178,918

METHOD oF MAKING. SNAP FASTENER socxms Filed July 14, 1958 l lNvEgxToR ame] Helfer Patented Nov. 7, 19239 UNTED STATE@ i raisers rarest triep METHOD or MAKING snai rasierte?. l Sooners 5 Claims.

This invention relatsto fasteners and particularly to fasteners used in such garments as underwear, and which are intended to be secured as by sewing to the garment in position to prevent contact of the metal of the fastener with the body of the wearer.

My invention contemplates the provision of a resilient socket comprising a one-piece holding member and a ring, and adapted to be readily sewn to a garment, and provided with means for receiving the sewing threads.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a simple and inexpensive fastener socket of preferably symmetrical form adapted to be secured as by sewing to a garment and operative regardless of which face thereof is outermost.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a simple and inexpensive method for making a one-piece ring-holding part of a socket.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows andv from the drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a pair of garment parts showing my improved fastener in operative position thereon.

Fig. 2 is a pian view, partly broken away, of my nev.v socket showing either face thereof.

Fig. 3 is a pian view of the cooperating stud for the socket.

Fig. 4 is a partial elevation and partial section of my new socket.`

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional View of the blank from which the socket is formed.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the blank after it has been partly formed to make one side of the ringhol'ding part of the socket.

Fig. 7 is a similar view of the finished socket showing how part of the unbent material of the blank is swaged over to form the other ringholding part of the socket.

In the practical embodiment of the invention which I have shown by way of example, the socket i is secured to a flap or other garment part ii, preferably by sewing as will be hereinafter more fully described. Similarly, the stud part l2 of the fastener is secured to the garment part I3, the stud entering the stud-receiving opening I4 of the socket. Said socket comprises the annular and preferably flat plate portion i5, shaped, at its inner part surrounding the central opening M therein, so as to provide a suitable ring-holding portion SS into which the resilient split ring il is arranged in such a manner that the inner half of the surface of said ring overhangs the opening lli.

(Cl. 29--l/i8) The enlarged head it of the stud l2 when v forced through said opening ifi, expands the ring i? to permit the stud head to pass said ring, whereafter the ring il contracts below tlie stud head to separably secure the stud in the socket. Preferably, the socket Hl vis symmetrical about a plane passing through the annular axis of the ring Il. The ring-holding plate l is provided with a series of spaced slots I9, 2li preferably parallel to the respective adjacent peripheral edges as 2i, 22 of the socket plate. Joining the ends of the adjacent slots I9, are the opposed recesses 23, 2d, the former being made in one face of the socketr plate and the` other being made in the other face 26 thereof, said recesses extending inwardly toward each other and being `of sufcient depth to receive the sewing threads resulting from the sewing operation on thepassage of the sewing needle and thread back and forth through` the adjacent ends of the slots i9 and 20.

The inner bifurcated peripheral portion i6 of the socket plate surrounding the opening M is formed preferably as is shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7. The flat blank 2l of Fig. 5, Which is preferably of uniform thickness and of polygonal outline, having been provided with its central opening I4, the inner peripheral part thereof surrounding the opening is pressed laterally in one direction into the shape of Fig. 6 to provide one of the ringholding parts as 28 which at its innermost periphother circular half 3i] of the ring-holding part it.-

and to reduce the thickness of the peripheral plate portion i5 of said plate.

The slots i9, 20 and the connecting recesses 23, Zion both faces of the vplate may thenbe made in said peripheral portion i5 as by a stamping operation to complete the socket plate, the ring l1 being then inserted in the annular recess 33 formed by the parts 28 and 30. Said recess is formed with a wall surface 32 which is semicircular in cross-section and terminates in circular aligned edges, the recess being adapted to loosely receive the outermost half of the resilient ring ll. By the operations above described, the ring-holding portion I5 surrounding the opening l@ is formed and the parts 28, and l5 are of substantially the same thickness and integrally formed.

The parts 28 and 30 while preferably symmetrical with respect to each other and with respect to the peripheral plate part I5 of the socket plate I may be unsymmetrically arranged, if desired, in a manner whichyis obvious and hence need not be further described nor illustrated, it being desirable only that said parts form a recess which is substantially semi-circular in cross-section.

The stud I2 is preferably made of a single piece of sheet material, the stud head I8 being arranged centrally thereof and being preferably formed with a suitable recess or depression as 39 to strengthen said head. The plate portion 34 of the stud is, similarly to the socket plate, provided with spaced slots as 35, 36 joined by the recesses 31 made in both the upper face and in the lower face of the plate portion 34 and corresponding to the recesses 23, 24 of the socket plate. It will be understood that the recess 3'I made on the face 38 of the stud plate is arranged opposite the corresponding recess made in the opposite face of said plate, the recesses being designed to receive the sewing threads passed through the slots 35, 36 to secure the stud to the garment portion I3 in the same manner as has been explained in connection with the socket plate I0.

It will be seen that the stud I2 may be engaged with and separated from its socket I0 without the necessity for the user touching the metal and that when so engaged neither the socket nor the stud canfdirectly engage the body of the wearer, one of the garment portions II or I3 being interposed between the fastener and the body of the wearer.

It will further be seen that by means of the method hereinbefore described it becomes possible to make the socket plate I0 of a single piece of material by an inexpensive swaging operation and it also becomes possible to make said socket plate symmetrical about a plane midway between its two faces so that said plate may be laid with one vface or the other face uppermost on the garment portion II and quickly and easily secured thereto by sewing through the slots I9 and 20.

It will also be seen that the sewing threads lie in the recesses 23 or 24 and do not project beyond the faces 25 and 26 and therefore do not form aniT lumps which might unduly press on the body of the wearer and cause pain or discomfort. 'I'his is also true of the stud plate 3d, the stud i2 being, however, necessarily secured to the garment portion I3 with the stud head I8 outstanding therefrom. p

It will therefore be seen that I have provided a fastener and particularly a resilient socket adapted for economical manufacture in large quantities and therefore well adapted to meet practical requirements.

While I have shown and described certain speciiic embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto but intend to claim the invention as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making a one-piece snap fastener socket comprising providing a fiat blank with a central opening, pressing the inner portion of the blank surrounding the opening laterally in one direction to one side of the blank and beyond one face thereof while reducing its thickness, and swaging the remaining outer material of the other face of the blank inwardly and laterally in the other direction and beyond said other face while reducing the thickness thereof.

2. The method of making a one-piece socket comprising pressing the inner part of a fiat blank laterally in one direction and beyond a face of the blank to form a bend of a predetermined shape, and inwardly swaging suiiicient material from the outer part of the other face of the blank and from part of the thickness thereof to form a corresponding opposed bend of the same shape extending laterally in the other direction.

3. 'Ihe method of making a one-piece ringholding socket out of a flat blank of uniform thickness having a perforation therein comprising depressing and simultaneously thinning an inner portion of the material of the blank surrounding the perforation, and swaging inwardly and simultaneously thinning the remaining outer peripheral portion of the blank.

4. The method of making a one-piece ringholding socket out of a flat blank having an opening therein comprising depressing beyond one face of the blank, an inner annular portion of the blank while simultaneously reducing the thickness of said portion and swaging inwardly part of the material at and adjacent to the other face of the vblank and outwardly of the inner annular portion while simultaneously reducing the thickness of the outer portion of the blank.

5. The method of making a one-piece ringholding socket having a bifurcated inner peripheral portion out of a perforated disc-like blank of uniform thickness having flat faces comprising pressing an annular inner portion of the material of the blank surrounding the perforation in a direction parallel to the axis of the lank to form a cup constituting half of the bifurcated portion while at the same time reducing the thickness of said portion to a thickness less than said uniform thickness, then swaging the remainder of the blank to reduce said uniform thickness and simultaneously to move the excess material thereof inwardly into opposition to the cup while shaping said excess material to form a similar cup and to complete the bifurcated portion.

DANIEL I REITER. 

